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Floor stain- coffee brown

MrsBrad
10 years ago

I'm not sure if this is the best forum to post in or if the flooring forum would be better. But we are getting our oak floors refinished and stained in our kitchen this week. I am leaning toward duraseal coffee brown. I am looking for a medium/ dark rich brown stain with no red undertones. I would love for the wood grain to show through. I know I don't want super dark like ebony. My floor contractor suggested provincial, said its a popular option, but I think it's lighter than I want. I haven't had a chance to test out each color on the floor yet. I'm hoping to do that tomorrow. I would really love to see some pictures and hear experiences from those of you who have gone through this process. Has anyone used coffee brown? We plan on using a satin finish.

This is a photo with floors I love:

Comments (24)

  • sjhockeyfan325
    10 years ago

    Our oak floors were recently redone - we went through 15 stain choices before we found "the one" and it happens to look very much like the one in the picture you posted. The mix is 4 parts coffee to 1 part rosewood. It's very rich looking and the grain is beautiful.

  • MrsBrad
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Your floors are beautiful. What finish do you have?

  • sjhockeyfan325
    10 years ago

    Honestly, I don't know - if you want me too I can find out.

    And thank you for the compliment - we live them. Originally we wanted to redo them the same color as they were, which was very dark, and we fortunately were here to select the color - we live hthe color and the grain, which wasn't nearly as apparent in the dark color. Also, dark colors just show so must dust!

  • MrsBrad
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    No need to find out, I was just curious. Your picture helped, thanks!

  • lamki
    10 years ago

    We used Duraseal as well and went with 2 parts coffee brown, 1 part ebony. The grain definitely shows through, and it's a nice warm color.

    We previously had our floors stained Minwax Special Walnut, and it looked very orange after just a few years. I really wanted to go a much darker espresso, but with white oak floors, we didn't want to go through the step of dyeing them first, and DH really liked it as is.

    Here is a picture of the floors just after they were stained, no poly yet.

    Good luck!

    (sorry, can't figure out how to rotate!)

  • lamki
    10 years ago

    Here's a better picture of the floor color (also without poly).

  • MrsBrad
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Wow, also very beautiful. It doesn't seem so from the picture, but do you get any red undertones? I assume the ebony takes care of that.

  • andreak100
    10 years ago

    We just...literally JUST got our kitchen floor finished. We have 65-ish year old red oak (dining room area) and we fingered in new red oak (kitchen area)...we removed a wall and the DR had the old oak flooring. We wanted to minimize the red tones. We have done "moderately well", I would say. One of the things that we found was that we have what is considered "Number 1 Common" - this level of flooring was common with floors that were put down in the 1950's and it tends to have a lot of color variation, so we can have one tone in one area and a completely different tone in another.

    We used a Bona color - we decided on Jacobean. With it, we pull more red in the old flooring than in the new floor. The new floor actually has some blueish undertones...we don't see the blue undertones as much in the old portion. So, something to keep in mind if the age (or lack thereof) in your floor can cause the flooring to look different. When both floors were sanded down, the old flooring had a reddish patina. Over time, I expect that the new floor will develop that "aging" as well. So, that's something to consider when you are doing your floor if it's new wood - the color that you have originally WILL alter a bit and probably moreso than it will with an old wood...so, it can be a bit of a shot in the dark with new wood - you might love the color you have originally and then you will find that it may show more red undertones as the wood naturally ages.

  • Sms
    10 years ago

    Just stained and finished also. Red oak with durastain provincial and a matte water based poly finish. Water popped to ensure grain contrast.

  • andreak100
    10 years ago

    Forgot to attach the picture of ours above.

    As mentioned above, our floor is a combination of old and new Number 1 Common red oak.

    Not water popped. Used Bona Jacobean stain (not left on for maximum time), Bona oil based sealer, and Bona Traffic HD in Satin.

    Lighting for the photo is "normal" warm-white incandescent bulbs right now. Will be going to warm-white LEDs so our final lighting will be close to the same color temperature seen with the incandescents. We temporarily put our LEDs into the fixtures to select our color...if you are changing your lighting around, you may want to look at your selection in the lighting you plan on having.

  • lamki
    10 years ago

    MrsBrad -- I don't read any red undertone in our stain, but you're right that the ebony probably helps that.

  • MrsBrad
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Andrea: They had to replace a portion of our kitchen floor with new red oak. Our house is 24 years old so I'm not sure if we will experience the same thing you have with the old and new floor. I'm not even certain the floors are original to the house. Thanks for that info though. That is good to know and consider. That color is very nice looking. Did you only consider Bona as far as color choices? How do you like the satin finish?

    Zeitgast: I like your floors as well. The provincial actually looks a little darker than I expected. Did you test out samples before you made your choice?

  • Laura Zinter
    6 years ago

    We are considering Duraseal Coffee on our red oak floors. What did you decide on? Do you have any photos of the completed project?

  • hartntex
    6 years ago

    Laura Z. did you decide on a stain and if so..do you have recent pics? About to go through this same process.


  • Laura Zinter
    6 years ago
    @Hartntex- they start this week and I am narrowing in on a color. We are choosing between Jacobean (cool brown but warmer than Ebony), and Antique Brown (a tad warmer). They are both in the dark category but not nearly as dark as ebony. We have dark furniture but I think a light rug will break up the darkness. My floor guy said Antique Brown is their top seller and looks good in traditional and contemporary homes. The water popped is beautiful, but I don't think we are doing that because the variation in depth should be better for hiding dirt and dust.
  • Laura Zinter
    6 years ago
    @hartntex we decided the coffee brown pulled too much of a rust color at certain times of the day.
  • Laura Zinter
    6 years ago
    @hartntex I'm not sure how to PM you but it sounds like we are in the same boat. Our stain goes down this weekend. Let me know where you are in your process and what colors you are leaning towards.
  • mgsae
    6 years ago

    I'm considering coffee as well with a raised grain that seems to make it richer and slightly less variation. Wondering how you're liking your floors after a few months. Going with coffee will be a big change for us. Our wood is red oak.

  • hartntex
    6 years ago
    After a hard lesson choosing a mix that wasn’t right I chose Minwax Dark Walnut and have grown to like (many people have complimented) although our furnishings are not in. Wanted Espresso but needed to “semi” blend with antique brown in other areas of the house and many warn against going too dark.
  • mgsae
    5 years ago

    We went duraseal 3/4 coffee and 1/4 gray on our red oak floors last year. Though it looks nice enough it's turned lighter than I wanted and anticipated after a year and also pulls some red/orange (again!). Wanted to inform people about it turning lighter. I do get lots of light in the room so that may influence the color

  • sprrkls
    last year

    @mgsae i know its been a while since you posted on this thread but id be curious to see your floors. considering coffee to be mixed with something. ty

  • M F
    11 months ago

    @sprrkls We used Duraseal Antique Brown on our newly installed red oak floors. We also used Pallmann X Color sealer and then finished with their satin finish. I would highly recommend the Pall-X color sealer. It added such depth to the color. I'm posting a few pictures of them throughout our house during various stages of construction. They look a little





    bit darker in the back of our house because it's north facing. I hope this helps. :)

  • sprrkls
    11 months ago

    @M F looks beautiful thank you for posting. I will consider this for sure.